Systems, apparatuses and methods of measuring physical dimensions of a body are useful in a variety of applications, among others, for taking a person's body measurements for garment tailoring purposes.
Traditional systems, apparatuses and methods of measuring physical dimensions of a body for tailoring purposes generally use manual measuring means, such as a measuring tape. The steps taken in tailoring a suit are familiar to anyone who has purchased a piece of cloth. The customer chooses a piece of cloth and then seeks assistance for taking a number of body measurements in order to alter the suit to fit the size of the customer. Sometimes the customer is fortunate enough to have the tailor take the measurements. The tailor will know if special considerations are required for the shape of the customer or the style of the suit. If this is the case, certain additional measurements may be necessary over and above the half dozen or so measurements normally taken. If, as an example, the customer has an athletic build with well developed thigh and bicep muscles, yet normal waist and shoulder measurements, additional measurements may be required to enable the tailor to produce a well fitting suit. It is also possible for the well-trained tailor to spot specifics in posture which may require additional measurements to be taken to more precisely match the suit to the customer.
In many retail stores, however, a tailor is not present at the store and the measurements are rather taken by a store clerk who may not know which measurements are needed for a particular individual. The tailor operates at a distinct disadvantage when alterations are made since he will undoubtedly tailor the suit to the universal build and posture rather than what may be a very uniquely proportioned person. In these instances, the clerk's measurements may result in only an average fit. Besides, the measurements taken by the store clerk should usually be sent manually to the tailor who is usually located in another location. This process of taking measurements is time consuming and usually results in inaccurate measurement results and defective tailored garments.
Recent developments in the field of data processing and electronics resulted in developing special technologies for electronically measuring physical dimensions of a human's body. Noticeable examples of the prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,766, to Foote et Al. (2007), U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,199, to Liebermann (2002), U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,844, to Chun (1989), U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,990, to Steinberg (1989), U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,367, to Vigede (1987), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,831, to Lutz (1976). Other examples of prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,367, U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,150, U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,923, U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,525.
US patent '367 suggests use of electrical connectors connected to a plurality of measuring points distributed over a body suit, where the electrical connectors detect emplacement of said measuring points when the body suit is worn by a person and transmit electrical signals representing said emplacements to be stored in storage means. This technology also suggests, as an alternative, optical sensors for detecting these measuring points. The measuring points are disposed on a tape that should be manually adjusted (by the tailor) according to the wearer's size.
US patent '150 teaches a hand held device for taking measurements. The device measures a distance between two points by extending a wire therebetween and by measuring the equivalent voltage of the wire. Since the voltage is proportional to the length of the wire, the distance between the two points is therefore determined. The measurements are sent by a transmitter to a receiver in order to be stored for potential use.
US patent '923 suggests a beacon device using a measuring tape having regularly-spaced markers and electronic sensing means for detecting passage of the markers. Once, the maker is detected, the measured distance is converted into an electrical signal and transmitted to be recorded.
US patent '525 suggests use of a multi-view camera arrangement for building a three dimensional profile of a person.
While these traditional measuring systems, apparatuses and methods may provide means for measuring physical dimensions of a person, these technologies require a human intervention in order to carry out at least some operations. Moreover, these technologies are complex, high costly and unreliable in certain circumstances. In fact, they generally do not provide substantially accurate measurement of the physical dimensions of a body, are complex and expensive to produce and generally require specialized training of persons using these systems and apparatuses. Besides, some of the associated equipments required to execute the measurements are generally cumbersome and, thus, are not in a compact format for facilitating the measurement process. Another limitation of these traditional systems and apparatuses is that, in being voluminous, they are unsuitable for shipping through regular post mail. Such a constraint is particularly disadvantageous in a growing global market environment and purchases of garments made by private individuals through Internet.